WhatsApp does about face, will serve ads in Facebook-owned app
Nominal subscription fee was dropped in January of this year.
Because what did you think would happen when Facebook acquired them. I promptly opt-ed out and then uninstalled it (I never used it and if really want secure communication I'll use Signal messenger from Open Whisper Systems).
It's not a U-turn and the article is wrong. Whatsapp will stay ad-free.
Well I might agree the title is misleading but it is in fact a U-turn. In exchange for the price they previously charged for an adfree experience there will be no fee… but your data will be sent to Facebook so that ads (across the web, regardless of you using a Facebook account – it's simply not needed, they know who you are if the web asset uses a like button or Facebook login or anything remotely associated with FB or any of its assets such as Instagram, Oculus, etc) can be targeted at you via their ad platform. From the horse's mouth:
“[B]y coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp. Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them. For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard of.”
This isn't exclusive to Facebook of course. Google does the same. They have however disclosed the fact, provided opt-in (in most instances versus the FB strategy of enabling it and then letting you opt-out… something most dont even know they can do because they were never told it was being enabled), and let you take all of your data and leave the service (again, not something FB lets you do). So… yeah the title might have been slightly off but the overall theme remains the same.
At least we can opt out of the data usage for advertising.
But:
If a product is free
think if you are the product.
For now… this is owned by Facebook after all. They're notorious for opt-in changes. Also… what level of trust should users have when they publicly stated they wouldn't do exactly this? https://blog.whatsapp.com/499/Facebook , https://blog.whatsapp.com/529/Setting-the-record-straight .
Back during the acquisition Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, put it bluntly (http://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/297701/140410facebookwhatappltr.pdf), "WhatsApp has made a number of promises about the limited nature of the data it collects, maintains, and shares with third parties – promises that exceed the protections currently promised to Facebook users."
While they do provide opt-op it's intentionally hidden, which may violate a Federal Trade Commission consent order requiring companies get consent before asking them to agree to the new terms asking users to agree to the new terms.